[SlingingBuddha]

So here is my problem, i accidently put non saltwater sand in my saltwater aquarium. i spoke to the man at the pet store and he told me it doesnt make a difference the only thing is that there isnt an aragonite so i will have to watch the ph level. now here is my question..

1. im going to add 40lbs of live sand in hopes that it will keep a natural balance, will the base layer of the crappy sand affect its ability to have bacteria and other micro-organisms within the sand as well as acting like a natural filter?

2. will ALL live sand act as a natural buffer as far as nitrate/ph levels

3. will sand grain .5-1.5mm be sufficient for cerith snails as i am looking to purchase them as i heard they are very active burrowers and with them you dont have to mix the sand as much

4. i am looking for black live sand one of which will balance ph/nitrate levels although i believe all live sand will do this

 

[SlingingBuddha]

i tried to post a link to sand i found but it wont let me as i'm new to the site, its Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Black Beach Reef Sand - 20 lb. my only question is if its true black not a grey color..

does anyone have any recommendations to pure black live sand?

 

[Geoff]

the sand buffering thing is a myth.

have you read through the Reefkeeping Made Easy thread yet?

G~

 

[SlingingBuddha]

no but thank you for showing me it! i am fairly young and i'm intrigued by the hobby so i cant get my hands on enough reading materials rather then just taking peoples opinions. after reading the nitrates section i was surprised about the surface area being a factor in the reduction of nitrates although it makes perfect sense. on that topic i know if sand is not moved around enough it can build up of a poisonous gas which in turn will kill wish, now i have read that with the use of cerith snails you dont have to move it around as much due to the fact that they are fairly active and keep it circulating enough. that being said when picking out sand would a grain size of .5-1.77mm be suffiect i feel like this is fairly dense for a small snail to navigate through. sorry for asking so many questions there is just so much hearsay information out there i want to make sure i carefully plan out and research everything before putting these fish in there as i want to be fully aware of all dangers i may come across

 

[Geoff]

Cerith snails will not burrow deep enough to make a difference. they also only burrow along the glass where the algae is. they do not burrow elsewhere. i like Ceriths, but not for that reason.

sand bed critters push nutrients down into the substrate, they do not remove them. another myth of this hobby.

G~

 

[SlingingBuddha]

i feel like theres so many websites which are misinforming the general new hobbyist about this hobby, if it were not for this forum i would be far off from what actually goes on within the tank. if the bed critters are pushing nutrients into the substrate it is essentially taking the nutrients away from lobster or whatever other small invertebrates one may have due to the fact that they arent burrowing animals and would have no way to getting to them, would that be a valid assumption?

 

[M I N I O N]

The burrowing snails are nassarius. You will usually only ever see a tiny feeler sticking out of the sand as a marker of their presence in your substrate. No bottom dwellers like silica sand as has tiny sharp edges which can cut or irritate wherever it rubs (so I hear). As I mentioned in your other thread, regularly replacing your sand bed is a good way to have your cake and eat it too.

 

[Geoff]

SlingingBuddha- you are thinking that there is nutritional value to the detritus. there is very little. at some point nobody wants to eat another critters poo.

G~